It was lunch time when Jiang Yue and Gu Ye found Acheng's house.
Walking through the narrow alleys, there are houses on both sides. There are no big stoves in the city like those in the countryside. Most people boil water and cook on coal stoves.
As the two walked along, all they could smell was cooking fumes.
Acheng's family lives at the end of the alley, but at this moment their home is deserted and the stove is empty.
"Is anyone home?" Jiang Yue knocked on the door.
There was a cough from inside the door, and a woman asked weakly, "Who is it?"
"I'm looking for Acheng. Is Acheng at home?" When Jiang Yue first mentioned looking for Acheng, the coughing inside stopped abruptly. She quickly added, "I'm his friend!"
When saying this, Jiang Yue and Gu Ye looked at each other. She didn't let Gu Ye speak because she was afraid that the sudden appearance of an adult man would make people in the room nervous.
On the way here, she specifically asked Gu Ye to teach her how to say these sentences in Cantonese.
After a moment, a trembling voice sounded from behind the door, "Did Ah Cheng ask you to borrow money? How much does he owe you?"
As the voice fell, the dilapidated door opened, revealing the face of a thin and pale woman. At this moment, her face was panicked, but also a little cautious.
"No, he doesn't owe me money. I heard from him that your family has clothes to sell, so I came here!" Jiang Yue spoke in a softer tone when he saw the woman's appearance. The woman was really too thin. She looked like a bunch of bones with a layer of skin on her body. It felt like a strong wind would blow her apart.
"Is that so?" The woman was obviously relieved, especially when she saw that the two people who came were dressed neatly and had very good looks, the man was handsome and the woman was pretty, and their attitudes were gentle. She timidly stepped aside and said, "Please come in!"
After Jiang Yue and Gu Ye entered the house, they found that the house could be described as bare and bare. There was not even a decent piece of furniture in the house. There was no table, chair, bench or bed. There was only a small platform made of bricks on the ground, probably used as a dining table, with bowls and chopsticks on it.
There were no beds in either room. A bed was made by laying a layer of cardboard and straw on the floor and then putting some cotton quilt on top.
"I'm sorry to make you two laugh. All the things in my house have been taken away by loan sharks to pay off debts. There's not even a place to sit." The woman looked very embarrassed.
"It's okay! Auntie, are you alone at home?" Jiang Yue learned Cantonese on the spot, speaking slowly, word by word.
"I'm useless and can't go anywhere." The woman stood against the wall, "If you two don't mind, just wait here. My children will be back soon."
As soon as the woman finished speaking, a thin figure walked in.
"Mom, I'm back!"
As soon as Ah Hua entered the house, she saw someone at home. She immediately became alert and rushed in like a little leopard, shouting angrily: "Zhang Long, we are already working hard to pay back the money, why did you come to my house!"
"Ahua! It's not Zhang Long, I'm here to buy clothes!"
The woman hurriedly stopped Ah Hua, and started coughing again before saying a word.
Ah Hua also saw Jiang Yue at this time, and she was immediately surprised and said: "Sister, it's you!"
Jiang Yue had actually been to the square before coming here. Ah Hua had told her that if she wanted to buy clothes, she could go to the square to find her. She and Gu Ye walked around the square but did not see Ah Hua and her brother.
"Sister, are you going to buy clothes? I'll go call my brother back now!" Ah Hua was very smart. She put down her things immediately and ran out.
When Jiang Yue saw that Ah Hua was putting down the soda that she was selling, she tried to lift it, but it was very heavy. She didn't know how Ah Hua, with such a small body, could carry such a heavy thing.
Not long after, Acheng came back, followed by a young man in his twenties. The man walked with a limp, and was obviously the eldest brother of Acheng and Ahua who failed as a profiteer and had his leg broken by a loan shark.
"Do you want to buy clothes?" Ajin was called back by his younger sister Ahua when he was selling soda with Acheng. Ahua said excitedly that two people wanted to buy clothes, so he rushed back almost immediately.
"Yes!" Jiang Yue saw that the man named A Jin was very excited. Although she didn't have the heart to pour cold water on him, she still had to make it clear, "Whether you want to buy it or not, you have to wait until I see what kind of clothes it is!"
"Okay! Come with me!" Ajin dragged one leg and walked outside.
Ah Cheng and Ah Hua followed behind. Ah Cheng looked very nervous, but Ah Hua chattered to Jiang Yue, "Sister, the clothes my elder brother bought are the most fashionable. You will definitely like them!"
Jiang Yue smiled, "Really?"
"Are there only a few of you in your family? Where's your father? Is he not at home?" Jiang Yue looked at Ajin and Acheng walking in front, and chatted with Ahua for a while.
"Dad is a seaman and hasn't been home for several years." Ah Hua sighed, "People outside say that Mom is in poor health, so Dad has a family outside and won't come back."
Hearing this, Jiang Yue raised her eyes and looked at Gu Ye. In fact, before coming here, she had thought that Acheng's family would be in a difficult situation, but she didn't expect it to be so difficult.
A hemp rope always breaks at the thinnest part, and misfortune always strikes upon the unfortunate.
"It's right here!" Ajin stopped excitedly.
Jiang Yue has always observed that Ah Jin is in his twenties, but his actual age may be different. It is mainly because he may have a hard life and looks older. This is a small firewood room. Ah Jin and Ah Cheng went in and took out two large bags behind the firewood. They were tightly wrapped in waterproof leather. When they were opened, they turned out to be two large sacks.
"Those loan sharks took away all my belongings that could be moved, and smashed everything that couldn't be moved." Ajin's voice was a little hoarse. He is still very excited and can't believe that someone would actually come to buy clothes.
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